Calgary Festivals

I am a huge fan of the blog pinterest I often spend hours searching on their travel search bar. I often fall in love with getaway destinations that offer rich cultural festivals. I always have a proverbial bucket list for travel, all the things I want to do and see. I forget that I've seen a lot of amazing things, and experienced some thoughtful cultural connections in my own city: Calgary.

Im a huge fan of lists, especially if they are itemized. So here it is my suggestions for Calgary's Top 5 festivals.

1. Globalfest
Globalfest has happened for the last ten years in Calgary, every August. This a true cultural connection for calgarians. The festival consists of a firework competition nightly with competing countries from all around the world. There are community centres throughout the city that hold cultural engagements. I get particularly excited because the competition is always at the end of August, and so is my birthday I celebrate almost every year with fireworks. There is a cultural pavilion at the park where the firework shows are hosted, and every country has different performances prior to the lights in the sky.

Personal Photo: Global Fest Fireworks

2. Taste of Calgary
This summer was the first time I partook in the festivities that are The Taste of Calgary. At this festival calgarian restaurants/venues host booths with samples of their products. You can buy tickets for samples at a $1/ticket, and most samples range between $2-$5. They have a beer gardens which have creative menu options, like grapefruit beer. The event was hosted at Eau Claire Market, and the weather was perfect. This event is a perfect opportunity to try partake in the variables that are Calgary.

Personal Photo: My bestfriend sampling something delicious

3. Calgary Stampede
If you have never been to the Calgary Stampede I don't think I can do justice to how extensive of a celebration it is in just a few sentences. I'll focus on my two favourite components: Coca Cola Stage, and the Midway. This year I got to see my favourite band Our Lady Peace for the cost of admission (less than $20) at the Coca Cola stage [this is also the second time that I've seen them at the 'Coke Stage']. My second draw to the Calgary Stampede is the midway, the rides are almost the same every year but they hold a nostalgia that I cant get enough of.

Personal Photo: Mini Horse Chuckwagon on the midway.

4. Chinese Cultural Festival
In early August this year, Calgary hosted the Chinese Cultural Festival. This was a smaller festival hosted in China Town. The streets were lined with vendors, and their was a stage with musical, and martial art demonstrations. Their was a small alley that lead to an out door art exhibit (called the Back Alley Art Cafe, with varied exposures to local artists.

Personal Photo: Art in the Back Alley Cafe

5. Lilac Festival 
The Calgary Lilac Festival is Calgary's largest street festival. The main component of this festival is access to street vendors. There are city blocks, upon blocks lined with vendors. The vendors vary between Calgary shops, services, restaurants, and entertainment. This is the place to see all of what Calgary has to offer. The highlight of the Lilac Festival is the presence of the YYC food truck sensation. This festival happens in May, this year we were lucky to have sunshiny weather!

Staycation

I appreciate Travel Alberta's aims at getting people to take in local attractions and events. Backyard getaways if you will, they type of travel where the adventure is only a daytrip away. I have blogged about Lake Louise as a local gem. I believe that staycations are an accessible way to get in a mini adventure. The good thing about local adventure is that planning is minimal, and travel to destiatnion can be usually organized quite easily.

There is an increase for adventure oppurtunities through deal sites such as Team Buy or Groupon which benefit to the consumer for taking advantage of great savings.
Last Christmas I was searching through the groupon deals of the week, and I found a great deal on Icefield helicopter tours. For my Dad, Sister, and I was able to to get a cheap snowshoe, and helicopter package. I'm a student, so you can imagine how literally I use the word cheap.

Personal Photo: Taken in January with Pilot

In January we booked our excursion, and we made a day trip to drive just west of Rocky Mountain House  for our adventure at Cline River. The tour consisted of a 1 hour round trip, and a 1 hour guided snowshoe through back country snow trails. The weather was clear and made for an enjoyable escape. I was surprised by how loud helicopters are, and we flew right in between the mountains; sights I had never saw so close before.

Personal Photo: View in flight.

I know that a fun component of travelling abroad is to meet new people from different places, but its nice to meet locals too. We got to know some Canadian locals, and everyone has a story so it shouldn't matter where they're from.

Personal Photo: Group Snowshoeing in backcountry.

 There are a lot of backyard adventures in Alberta, and taking the time for adventure is only a thought away.

I dream of Europe

Ever since I was little, I've wanted to go to Europe! It all started with my Grandmother. She is from Germany and lived there up until she was eighteen. Since then she has gone back a few times to visit. There are a few different reasons why I want to go there. The one is that Europe is a part of my heritage and  I really want to see what it is like over there. Especially Germany since that is where my Grandmother is from. Another main reason I want to go there is because of how close everything is. My grandmother always says that in a few hours you can be somewhere completely new!

My grandmother was alive during the second world war, so she has stories of everything that went on. My grandmother, her mother, and sister at one point had to travel across Europe in train cars and my grandmother tells me that it was a very sad experience, since everyone was malnourished and sick, people had to do their business on the floor of the train. Then she also tells me that her mother experience a concentration camp. Stories like these have always fascinated me and over the years I've watched many movies and read many books on the second world war.

This is another reason I want to go, I want to see all the different museums in Germany and visit the Auschwitz Camp.

Aside from the doom and gloomy part, I want to visit the German pubs and experience Germany's night life.

Then there are my grandmother stories about the Red Light District in Amsterdam! These stories also fascinate me! We have sex shops here in Calgary, but she says that there are literally live girls in the windows like manikins doing advertising. I want to visit this area because I think it would be a really moving experience since I have never seen anything like it before.

Everything else is just a hop-skip-away! I would love to take like two months and just travel through Europe! France, Spain, Italy Those are the destinations that I some day want to be able to go to!

New Years Getaway

This year my roommates and I want to get away some time just after news years. We chose just after New Years because there isn't many free days between exams and Christmas and trying to book a hotel for New Years is not only extremely difficult if you haven't done it by now, but it's also extremely expensive.

Since we want to go somewhere out of Alberta, but want to be able to go skiing, we chose to make the trip to Kicking Horse BC. Next we picked the dates that we wanted to go. We decided on January 3rd-6th because the price goes back down to a normal out of season rate since it is after the holidays.

There is only one catch for me to this trip! My roommates consist of two boys! I don't really snowboard ( I've gone twice and am not very good yet) and all the girls I have asked to come so far are un able to. So potentially the trip may turn into me with four other smelly dudes for the entire trip! Hopefully I can find another girl to accompany me otherwise there isn't much point in going seeing as all the boys will be out skiing all day and I will be in a giant lodge by myself!

The lodges we were looking at had full kitchens and a private hot tub which is pretty sweet. I'm very excited for this trip because it will be the only trip that I do over the Christmas break, and the trip I took to Fernie was amazing so this trip will be like that but better. It will be better because there won't be any parents and little kids with us. Just a bun of twenty year olds in a ski lodge.

Has anyone done this sort of trip before? Do you have some suggestions in terms of a good place to look when booking lodges?

Canada's Gems Cont....

For me this blog post is close to the heart. It's about my home town of Vancouver. If any of you haven't been I highly, highly recommend going. It has the most natural beauty I have ever seen surrounding a large city. 

Everyone knows Vancouver is surrounded by the ocean but I don't think people quite grasp how beautiful the inlet is there. The area I'm from is called Deep Cove and it has wonderful touristy things all on its own. The small town of Deep Cove used to be a vacation spot so it's full of cottages and the strip of shops still had the old town feel to it.

Deep Cove

In the photo above I'm standing at the yacht club in Deep Cove and behind is the bottom of Seymour Mountain. In the bottom there is a great hiking spot with some of the most amazing views you will ever see so close to the city.

Quarry Rock

Just a short hike from Deep Cove and you'll come across this breathtaking view. Below many people do boating activities and one of the more popular things is Kayaking. It's crazy to think I live on the water and on the bottom of a mountain at the same time. Not many people get the best of both those worlds and I feel so lucky I get to call that home!

So please if you have never been you seriously need to consider making a trip! Especially if you love sushi because we have the best and the cheapest sushi in all of Canada!!

The Move

Do you ever feel like you want to be in another place and just stay there for good? What is the reason behind it? Do you think you might love the people and enjoy your whole experience there? Is it for the reason that you are running away from something or you think you might get the opportunity to a better life? There are many answers for these questions and it depends on every person you are going to ask. For me, the thought of moving in another place somewhat gives me mixed emotions. A quarter excited and the rest, frightened. 

Scared Ghost photo by Scr47chy on Flickr
http://www.fotopedia.com/items/flickr-148867629

When I learned that we are moving here in Canada maybe 2 years back, I went blank, it is like nothing is in my head. It took me some time to process what my parents told me. I never really saw myself in another place but the Philippines. I grew up there, went to school there, had many friends and many memories that I will forever remember. I was actually unhappy about the thought of moving here or anywhere else. I love travelling, I really do but staying there for good is another story. I have shared on my recent post that we first went to Australia but that it didn't last for long, my brother and I went back to the Philippines to finish our study and my parents stayed in Australia because of their work.

Our application for migrating here in Canada has been processed for more than 10 years. As long as I can remember, my mom and dad always talk about Canada. They really want to stay here for good. When my mom and dad received a letter from the Government of Canada telling that we are approved for migrating here in Canada, my parents did not waste any more time. They processed another set of papers, went to Philippines to get me and my brother, and then here we are. Things happened so fast, I didn't get to prepare myself physically and emotionally.  

My first month here was a horrible feeling. I was sad all day, felt home sick and always cried myself to sleep. It was like I have been in the most horrible break up ever. I'm showing signs of depression which is more frightening. I was aware that what I am doing is not healthy that is why I helped myself to fight against it. I did everything I can by diverting my attention away from missing my life in the Philippines and keeping myself busy by studying and working hard. I can say that what I did somehow helped me move on. Eventually, I came to the realization that my life is different now. I accepted the fact that there is something better for me here. Everything has its reason and someday I'll know why here. 

For now, the answer to the question above is still unclear, but one day if someone asks me what I love about Canada, hopefully I get to answer "I love the people, I enjoy my life there and it was the opportunity for my family and I to have a better life."  

    

 

Canada's Gems Cont...

The next destination I'm going to talk about is Osoyoos BC. Canada's only true desert is a summer hot spot with wineries and unlimited water activities. The town is a lot smaller than Kelowna for example so it's more of a small town get away full of tourists. Most of the people you run into when you're up  there in the summer are tourists it's rare you meet to locals. 

The lake has two sides to it connected by a little stream under a bridge. The lake is also really cool because it's very shallow so it gets really warm in the summer. It gets deep enough so you can't touch but still shallow so the sun can really heat up the lake. You can honestly hang out in the water for hours without getting cold.

Osoyoos 

In the photo above you can see the little strip attaching the two sides of the lake. That strip is there all the main hotels and beaches are. It's basically a tourist strip that's very busy and popular during the summer months.

If you enjoy time away from the city and sunny hot lake get away's then Osoyoos is for you!

Traveling Through the Snow

So people who live in Calgary must have accepted that it snows 3 out of 4 seasons a year. Last year being my first year living here I saw snow in May for the first time! My friend from home had messaged me in the morning saying she heard we had a blizzard over night. I looked out my window and sure enough everything was covered in snow. I thought it was insane May is for Spring and the beginning of hot weather... well not in this town.

Moving on to the point of this story I don't quite understand Calgary drivers in the snow. This doesn't apply to all drivers but I noticed two the other day that were worth mentioning. I drive a jeep so I feel pretty safe on the roads in the snow with my 4x4 and coming from Vancouver we may get a LOT less snow but when it does snow it makes it difficult to drive since there are so many steep hills everywhere you go since I live on the bottom of the mountains. So driving in Calgary I find relatively easy since the roads are mostly flat. I guess not all drivers feel that way. Sunday I was driving and I get behind a Yaris going 35 in a 60 zone... I realize the roads conditions aren't great but if your little Yaris can't drive in the snow maybe you shouldn't be out on the road in those conditions. On my way home that night another small car cuts in front of me from a side street so I have to slam on my breaks and I started skidding. Was able to get everything under control but the driver never sped up over 30 km. Just because it's snowing does not mean you can drive half the speed limit. 

At the end of the day drivers who are uncomfortable driving in the snow or don't have proper cars to do so put the rest of us drivers at risk. 

Airmiles

If anyone collects Airmiles you know it's a great way to us your points to buy cool items, gifts, or flights for cheap. One thing I learned the hard way is to be very careful when booking your flight and to always triple check your flight reservation.

This past August I had booked my ticket home to Vancouver for Thanksgiving long in advance so I'd get a good flight time. I booked online like I had done many times before, paid for the taxes on the flight and thought it was all good. Boy was I wrong...

Two days before I was supposed to fly home to Vancouver I was looking up my flight details to confirm my flight number and the time of the flight. Only to find that there was no flight record. In a panic I call up Westjet to see if they have any record of me being on the flight; I would have called Airmiles but they are closed on Sundays. After speaking to Westjet they had no record for me being on the flight to Vancouver. The next morning I wait on hold for Airmiles for over an hour and a half and once I finally get through I find out that they claim I booked the flights for September and not October. I really didn't think I could have made that mistake but even so I had no way of proving anything. So according to them I had missed my flight a month ago. Annoying part is I never got an email saying anything about missing my flight, the flight reservation just disappeared. The lady on the phone said she could reinstate my flight back to Calgary for free but I'd have to purchase a flight to Vancouver so 300 dollars later I had my ticket and was on my way.

Being home in Vancouver was great but Monday rolled around and it came time to go back to Calgary.My dad drops me off at the airport and I go to check in. They have no record for me being on that flight, instead the lady from Airmiles booked me on the Wednesday night flight for some reason. Once again I had to purchase a flight and this one cost 400 dollars. So approximately 850 dollars later for a 4 days trip to Vancouver I learned the hard way to double and triple check my reservations. 

Abroad?

Is it cool to say that I can't wait to visit the Philippines.?

My family was planning to go back next Decemeber... it would have been 6 years since i've been back to the Phillipines.

In my previous blogs I have talked about the many things Philippines has to offer and I have ecplained some of my experinces.

I really want to go back because ever since I was younger... I have always been interested in the showbiz life. And my major in school is Broadcasting... one day I feel if I ever do go back to the Philippines, I would want to go and try my luck in trying to get into the entertainment industry.

In general, my goal is to travel abroad and work in a different place. I feel doing that would make my work profile just seem so much more great.? (Losing some of the words I would like to say... I think this is what happens when you write blogs past 12am.. haha)

But really to travel abroad for work... espcically in the choice of a career path I have chosen to go through would be pretty cool. Who knows... I mean the States would be cool.. or even the UK.. but I personally think that the Philippines would be very cool... because for one it is my home country and two it would still be easier to communicate.. that and I am always upadted on the showbiz world in the Philippines. It just goes to show that I think it would be pretty fun to go abroad. (:

A Nice Walk

So I forgot my house keys one day when getting off the bus from highschool.

Not fun?

So I had two choices... to wait till my family came home and to sit outside the house for  long period of time.... OR to walk to my aunts house from Mckenzie Lake till New Brighton.

Obviously I chose the second option... I was not going to wait outside for who knows how long just for my family to show up. I guess I can agree that I needed to workout or stay fit.. and a nice walk wouldn't hurt.

It was a very nice walk actually... I hadn't done that in the longest time. So it really got my blood pumping.. literally. Why? Well because I had my 10 pound backpack on... but also another 5 pounds of textbooks that I was carrying in my arms. So not only a walk but definitely working on those muscles.

The walk took roughly... 15mins?

Who knew it was that easy. I think after that walk I was more motivated to workout and to stay fit... (well until university hit... haha) but it had given me a healthy lifestyle for a while and I guess I could say that it worked for me. Walking helped me to become motivated in being active. (:

Winter and School DO NOT Mix

One thing I know for sure that I am not fond of is traveling to school. Travelling to school in general is a very big pain. I live in the deep SE and MRU feels like it's all the way on the other side of the world. It is already bad that I have to travel there during normal road conditions... but through winter... oh. my. goodness. IT IS BRUTAL!

My only roads of transportation is Deerfoot basically.

Well that was the case until I finally had learned the back roads.

But my goodness.. everytime snow or not... Deerfoot is ALWAYS backed up. ALWAYS. I wish I could change that... but it's Calgary I guess.

I am so thankful that I have finally learned the back roads.

I found a way to avoid traffic... it may take a little longer because there are alot of roads... BUT its certainly still alot faster than sitting through Deerfoot for an hour or even hour and a half. From where I live.. going through Douglasdale and Riverbend has become my best friend. It gets me onto Glenmore and I avoid traffic. I can still drive to school and get there in just over half an hour.

Yay for learning the back roads! (:

Edmonton!!

I remember my trip to Edmonton.

I had snuck onto Justin Bieber's tour bus and had rode on the bus with him about midway to Red Deer.. yes it is a little creepy I know... but I gotta do what I gotta do when it comes to getting something signed just for my younger sister.

Totally.

Just.

Kidding.

haha.

I guess it would be every girls dream to sneak onto the Biebs tour bus.

However...it is true I do remember my pretty epic trip to Edmonton.
It happened about 2 years ago.

It was during one of my cousins birthday that my family and I (extended included) had randomly decided to go just... go to Edmonton. May I just say that we had decided this at roughly 10pm at night.

We literally decided at my cousins house... all went back home to pack up for the night and following day... and was Edmonton bound at 11pm. The journey was actually pretty wicked.

Not really.. but lets just say it was 3 full cars of Filipinos going to Edmonton just becasue they felt like it. So I guess from this point I can say that the car ride was like your typical roadtrip. Boring. Except for one part... when we all needed a "break" get this.. it was already 1am in the morning and all the gas stations had already closed, so the only way we could use a washroom was a late night pub. Sadly, my siblings and I were still underaged and the owners of the pub would not let us use the washroom... even if we were ready to burst our bladders.

Finally after some much talking and maybe a small arguement... my dad had used the excuse of "if you don't let my children use the washroom, I will just let them do their thing outside your building." And sure enough they had given us the chance. Like come on... let us be, we all gotta go at some point.

From then till we got to Edmonton... we had gotten to our realatives house.. who somehow just knew were all coming. So many filipinos in one house was crazy at 2am.. but we got there and basically a party happened. Let's just say... the karaoke machine was brought out.

Weekend in Banff

This last weekend I traveled over to Banff for the weekend.
It was my boyfriend's companies Christmas party and they hosted it at the Banff Rocky Mountain Resort. It was also our three year anniversary so we decided to combine the two events into one weekend in Banff.

My boyfriend and I at the Christmas party

We have never stayed over night in Banff before so we just expected to have a normal boring hotel room. However this was not the case! This resort has little outside condos that you get instead of boring hotel rooms in a multi-level building. When we got to our little condo, we were presented with a full kitchen and wolf themed everything! It also had two TV's (one in the living room and one in our bedroom) as well as a wood burning fireplace!

Panorama view of our hotel

Our first day there was Friday and it was pretty mundane because all the young couples were just hanging out and going for supper before getting together later. We made our way down town and had supper at my favorite simple place, The Old Spaghetti Factory! Then we went back to our room for some TV in bed before heading out to the hotels bar to drink.

After we closed out the hotel bar, we took the party back to our place. It was a wonderful night of endless laughs! The oldest guy who came back to party with us is a forty some year old ex military sniper who is now working as an engineer. Listening to his stories were so entertaining, and they finally ended at an early 3AM.

Saturday was the real party because this was the night of the Christmas Party. We went early to help set things up. Once everyone was there and the speeches ended, it was time to eat. The food was presented in a way that I've never seen before but it all tasted extremely good!

This was the appy. It was raspberry sorbet in a melted cheese bowl

This was my main dish-Chicken

This was the best part- Rum Cheesecake!

Saturday night was filled with drinks, dancing and good company. The night lasted again until about 3AM and it caused a late morning for Sunday which consisted of Phil's for breakfast followed by a long (two hours!) and scary (the weather was terrible, with accidents everywhere) drive home.


What are some other memorable experiences people have had in Banff?

Fernie-Winter Adventure!

I have never been a winter person!

I prefer the warm summer weather that leaves you hot and sweaty compared to the cold and snowy winter season. Unfortunately, when you live in Alberta, it is impossible to pretend that winter isn't here. I believe the reason that I don't like winter is because I don't do anything. I do not snowboard or ski. I do skate, however no one ever wants to go skating!

Last winter I went on a trip that helped me to start to embrace the winter season. I went with two families to Fernie BC for a week. We rented a five bedroom house at the bottom of the ski hill and all 11 of us crammed into the house for the entire week. 

Fernie was beautiful and snowy the entire time, and we ended up dividing the boys and girls for most activities. The four boys went snow boarding everyday while we were there, while the rest of us girls relaxed in the cabin and did girl stuff like painting our nails. 

The back of the house was on a lake, so one day all the girls went onto this lake with shovels and we shoveled different things into the snow, that you could see from the windows of the house. This was a lot of fun which was surprising because usually I hate the cold!!

Down town Fernie is similar to Banff except it is less commercialized. So we spent quite a bit of time going to the different shops down town. We ended up doing a big scavenger hunt that the Mom's set up for us. 

All of us at the Fernie train station for the scavenger hunt

One morning all of the girls piled into a van to the Ying Yang Yoga studio in Fernie. This was the first time that I had tried yoga in a studio situation. It was a lot of fun and a great way to start the morning! Later that night us us three couples that were 18+ went out to The Brickhouse for supper and drinks, which was a lot of fun because it was our little night on the town, even if it wasn't that eventful.

This trip was the beginning of me trying to accept winter and getting through it by finding fun things to do that are specifically for winter. What does everyone else do during the winter season that helps pass the long cold days?!

The Delicious Italy - Time to Indulge

Italy is a place where everyone knows how to enjoy themselves. The rules here are simple: relax, enjoy the company of others, eat amazing food, and drink delicious wine.

One of my fondest memories of Italy takes place in a little area in Tuscany, just outside of Florance called Chianti. An area of rolling hills and an abundance of vegetation. This is an area famous for their wine, so if you visit this lovely city do not forget to go for a wine tasting. The wine tasting I went for was at a small restaurant where the owner was also the cook, the server, and the wine connoisseur. He cautioned us before the wine tasting saying, "It's called a wine tasting, but it's more of a wine drinking...you're going to get drunk". We tried four different types of wine: two reds (one very aged), a bubbly white (my favorite), and a dessert wine (very boozy but still good). Along with the variety of amazing wines we ate the best pesto pasta I've ever had. There was four of us from the hostel all laughing and talking and indulging. Then the very next day we all got together and made an amazing meal at our hostel outside in the warm sun. We enjoyed each other's company, the beautiful scenery, a yummy meal, and, yes, more wine.

The food you will eat in Italy is indescribable. The next place I will describe is a little pizzeria in Naples called Pizzeria Da Michele. This was created by a man named Michele, and in 1906 he created the first pizzeria. There are secrets to this incredible pizza that only the five generations of master chiefs that have worked here know. The two kinds of pizza made here are Marinara and Margaret; Marinara is just sauce on a very thin crust and Margaret is that with cheese on top. I know neither one actually sounds all that amazing but trust me, they are! This has also become a popular tourist attraction since the movie Eat Pray Love came out, because this is the exact restaurant that Julia Roberts ate at.


FreeFoto.com

Although I could go on forever about the pleasures of Italy I will just describe one more treat I indulged in, and indulged in often. Gelato, it is perhaps the most delicious variation on ice cream you will find. If you are ever in Italy do not leave before trying at least five different flavors of gelato! There is a little day trip you can do from Florence to a town called San Gimignano which is famous for the medieval feel to it. However, it also holds a famous, award-winning gelato shop on the main square. This is where you will find any gelato flavor imaginable; I had eggnog, vanilla white chocolate, and tiramisu. But, honestly, you can find a gelato shop around almost any corner in Italy.   

The Delicious Italy - Venice

"Not all who wander are lost."
        - J.R.R. Tolkien

This quote captures the way I felt about visiting this beautiful little city in Italy perfectly. My favorite destination on this trip, Venice. I fell in love with that city as soon as we stepped into it. This is a city where one can wander and wander and never become bored or feel lost. It is so authentic; there are no cars, just boats in the canals and little cobble stone streets to wander down. The streets are lined with colorful buildings, and the cutest little shops and restaurants.

Although you could be perfectly happy just wandering through the streets of this unique little city for hours on end, there are some famous sights to see. The first being St. Marks Square, this is the most popular attraction in Venice. It is where the Basilica of San Marco stands, a beautiful, huge church that is entirely made of marble. The basilica has a separate bell tower which is 323 feet tall. Another famous building in this square is Doge's Palace, a beautiful Gothic building.

Another famous sight is Rialto Bridge which crosses the Grand Canal. This is such a big attraction simply because it is the busiest bridge in Venice. Walking along it you'll see all sorts of shops and little market-style kiosks.

Don't forget to explore around Venice as well. There are many small islands surrounding this city that can be forgotten. First, there is the island Murano; this is where the famous murano glass is made. I recommend stopping in the Murano Glass Factory to watch how these works of art are created.

Another island to see is San Michele. This island is entirely a cemetery; although being there can be very sobering, it is also the most magnificent cemetery I've ever seen. There are sculptures and roses covering this island, and each headstone is a work of art.

Then there is Burano, an island that you will not want to miss out on. It is a fishing village where all of the buildings are bright vivid colors, it was adorable! Walking through a city that brightly colored is sure to put a smile on your face! The majority of it is little, unique shops that are famous for their lace or their fish.

There is also a nice day trip you can do from Venice to Verona. In Verona you can see Juliet's Balcony. The tunnel leading up to Juliet's house is covered in love notes. Once you are through the tunnel you are in a small square where you can see the balcony, house, and a statue of Juliet. As legend has it, if you rub the statue's right breast then you will have good luck, so don't forget to do that before leaving.

The Delicious Italy - Rome

If you like history then you'll love Rome! I learned some of the most interesting things here at the Colosseum, Palatine Hill, and the Roman Forum. We signed up for a tour of these sights, where we had a tour guide, got to skip the huge lines, and got discounted prices to enter each one. If you can try to find someone selling one of these packages outside the Colosseum, it's well worth it!

The Colosseum is amazing to see! It isn't anything like what it used to be, but you can see the tunnels and rooms at the bottom where animals, prisoners, and gladiators would wait until it was their time to come out. This used to be entirely covered in wood flooring but that is all gone now. We saw where the emperor would have sat to watch the shows. We also saw blocks outside around the Colosseum that ropes would be attached to for when they pulled a cover over the top of it during the shows. We learned that it only took eight years to build this incredible theater in 72 AD, and it could hold 55,000 spectators. The events were not held here all the time, only in the fall and spring, but when the shows were going on there were lots to see. Anyone could see these shows for free but you were matched where you could sit based on your social standing. We also learned that there used to be a lake next to the Colosseum but it is all concrete now. Also, that they found lots of chicken bones in the bottom of it because people would eat chicken while watching the shows. There are many other facts we were told but I can't remember them. The tour guide also told us about an emperor who started a fire in Rome that burnt down 75% of the town because he wanted to build a giant palace for himself that was four times the size of the Colosseum.

 

Next was the tour of Palatine Hill and the Roman Forum which had even more interesting stories and facts. At the beginning of this tour we were told that Rome is the city of love because Venus, the goddess of love, lived there. Also, amor is Italian for love and if you say amor backwards its Roma! On Palatine Hill we were told a story about the vestal virgins and how Venus was a part of this group until she got pregnant with two boys, Romulus and Remus. She was forced to give them away so she took them to the top of Palatine Hill where a shewolf found them and raised them. Years later Romulus grew up and built the empire for Rome, and Rome started in the Roman Forum. After hearing this story we walked down into the Roman Forum and saw all of the ruins and arches which was very cool. There are three main arches; one made by Constantine, another made by Titus, and the last made by Septimius Severus. One for conquering war, another for conquering the church, and another for victories.

This is only a small piece of the history of Rome; if you love mythology and history then Rome is the place for you!

The Authentic Greece - Santorini

Santorini was our final destination of this amazing trip, this was a great way to end the trip. There was lots that we did during the week that we spent here but I will just tell you about the highlights. The beaches, the volcano, and the sunsets.

There are lots of beaches on this island making it the perfect place to relax and unwind. There are black sand beaches, red sand beaches, and a white sand beach. The most famous black sand beach is Perissa beach, it is one the longest beaches. Black sand beaches are beautiful but be careful, in the hot sun this sand will literally burn you. The red sand beach was really cool to see as well, it has boulders surrounding it and it is a little walk to get to. The white sand beach you can get to by boat from a spot close to the red sand beach. We were not able to see it because the water/weather conditions were not good enough that day but I'm sure it is very beautiful as well. Another beach we went to was Vlihada beach which also had black sand as well, but the main thing we enjoyed about this beach were the waves which were fun to bounce around in.

The best way to see the Nea Kameni volcano is through a tour which will be advertised at any hostel. The tour will take you to the volcano via a sailboat and you'll be able to see many other things that same day. You are able to hike up the volcano which is really cool. The volcano is a protected scientific site that is monitored to record any volcanic activity. The last eruption was just over 50 years ago.

Santorini is famous for its spectacular sunsets. The sun looks like it is slowly sinking into the ocean, and the colors of the sky are rich and gorgeous. There are two popular places to go to see these amazing sunsets, Oia or from Akrotiri lighthouse which is on top of a hill. We did both and preferred the lighthouse. Oia is the famous spot to go watch the sunset, it is where all of the white buildings are with blue roof tops. This is also an area full of little shops to explore, but it is also very crowded and expensive here. We drove an ATV up to the lighthouse and shared a bottle of wine with a couple others that we met at the hostel while watching the sunset. This spot is not crowded at all and you still get the amazing view.

Santorini is a beautiful island with lots of character and a would recommend it to anyone travelling to Europe!

 

Canada's Gems cont...

This next location I'm going to discuss is a summer hot spot. With tons of water attractions, events, and family activities This great destination is Kelowna BC. Only 7 hours drive away from Calgary and you land yourself in the heart of the Okanagan.

Kelowna is located on lake Okanagan home of the Ogopogo a mythical creature that lives in the water. As one of the largest lakes in BC lake Okanagan offers endless boating activities. With boat rentals available anyone can get out on the water. If you enjoy wake boarding, water skiing, tubing, jet skiing, and even house boating this lake is for you. Kelowna has lots of hotels and even condo rentals in the downtown core. Not to mention great views from the Earls rooftop patio overlooking the lake.

Not to mention all the events that take place there over the summer; the biggest one being Center of Gravity on the August long weekend. This event hosts professional wake boarders, basketball tournaments, volleyball tournaments and also famous musical performers. Some years it's been Steve Aoki, Calvin Harris, Classified, Dragonette, and the list goes on. This day time festival has something for everyone and is always a great time! I've been there 3 years in a row and each time is a little greater than the last.

Steve Aoki concert

Okanagan lake

I dont believe in the winter blues

Its October, and we are already getting our bitter reality that winter is here/around the corner. I know a few people who have already embarked on their annual mexico winter "getaway". Not that I wouldn't whole heartedly enjoy a weeks worth of vacation on a hot beach somewhere, but I happen to enjoy our winters. Everyone is always wrapped up in the winter blues, and my solution is to embrace the season that exists for (what feels like) more than half our year.

Winter "Staycation"

I was born and raised in Calgary and my family has always found ways to enjoy winter activities. Last winter I indulged in the freezing festivities in Lake Louise. I have been to Lake Louise in the summer, but last winter I made two trips to a mini winter wonderland.

The first, trip was a december day off work. My friends and I decided to take a day trip to frozen Lake Louise. While we were there we took full advantage of the many options offered. We started our day by skating on the lake; their set up is beautiful. The lake is frozen in a mountain valley, and in the middle of the "rink" is an ice (castle-like) structure. They have a fire to warm up by, and the hotel nestled in the valley provided us with our hot drink indulgence. When we were warmed up enough to venture further we decided to take the horse drawn sleigh ride. The ride was a cozy travel to a frozen water fall at the end of the lake, where we stopped for our photo op. I never knew Lake Louise existed as a tourist "hot spot" in the winter, but our day trip was enough to keep that day "frozen" in my mind.

Ice Skating, in front of Ice castle. Personal Photo

Sleigh Ride along Lake Louise. Personal Photo

Frozen Waterfall. Lake Louise Photo Op. 

Our Second trip was an engagement with the annual ice sculpture competition. This time we parked in town, and took a shuttle bus up to the frozen lake. There were a little over ten ice sculptures carved, and on display from the weekends competition. We again took in the sights, and skated on the lake. I was blown away by the craftsmanship that had been put into the art. I had never seen ice sculptures so elaborate, below is a photo of my favourite sculpture. If you ever get a chance to experience Lake Louise in the winter, do not hesitate!

"Lady Bug" ice sculpture. Lake Louise 2012. Personal Photo

Adventure's were had

Every place you travel has an adventure side. I wasn’t planning on indulging anymore about my Costa Rica trip, but I realized that besides leaving my heart in Costa Rica I had experienced some unforgettable adventures.

My project leader had asked us if we wanted to take a "day off" from our volunteer duties to go on a hike to one of Costa Rica's tallest waterfalls. We all imagined an extremely leisurely day so we agreed. The next day we woke up at 5:30am to be on the trail by 6:00am. What we found out is that the land leading to the waterfall was privately owned, and the waterfall itself was public. We were driven up a windy road on a mountain to the private entrance to the falls. The reason we had such an early start was to avoid the $20 (american) per person charge for being on the land. We hiked (a difficult) one hour to the falls, and then swam in the natural pools. Then we had to make a choice to either hike the one hour back and pay the land owner, or hike "a few hours" along the river back to our town. We chose to embark on the river hike, which turned into a four hour "hike". We had a local guiding us who literally hacked his way (with a machete) through the rainforest, with us trustfully following him. Note to anyone who ever embarks on a rainforest hike: DO NOT WEAR RAIN BOOTS. I regretfully hiked four hours criss crossing the river all the way down, with mini pools in my boots. However, I am not complaining for a single second because I will never forget the day we were "in the jungle" for almost six hours, I pushed myself to limits that I didn't even know I had. The day at the falls was an unschedule surprise in my volunteer itinerary, and Im glad we didn't miss the opportunity.

Before embarking on our four hour jungle exit. (notice our smiles) personal photo

Though I was fortunate to partake in unplanned discovery in Costa Rica, I was involved in a two week adventure tour itinerary. We travelled as a group of 30, from Tico coast to coast and I had amazing experiences. Cost Rica is rich in adventure and my top five adventure destination suggestions are:


Rio Pacuare :White Water Rafting
I went white water rafting for my first time this summer. I also had my first time falling out of a raft into white water. We paid a photographer for our photos at the end, and I'm excited we did because the picture below captures the moment after I was in the water. Overall the day was amazing, our guide's name was Frankie and he taught us everything we need to know; specifically if you fall out, lay back and breath.

"swimming" Pacuare. Personal Photo

La Fortuna: Zip-lining and Rappelling
In La Fortuna we had the amazing day of zip lining on 11 different lines, and mid way through we did a 250 foot rappel.

Rappelling in La Fortuna. personal photo

Samara Beach: Surfing
I want to live in a place where the ocean is at my door everyday so I can master surfing. I have never tried surfing before but at Samara beach we got lessons to try. I was addicted to the challenge that surfing presented itself as. I can not say Im a surfer, but I'm definitely hooked, one day...

Surfing lessons (before water) @ Samara Beach. Personal Photo 

Rincon de la Vieja National Park: Horse Back Riding and River Tubing
We had a horse back ride, and a short walk carrying our large inner tubes to the river. The river was a series of small rapids and we all got to sit back and relax. Except for the rapid parts, just enough adrenaline to keep us a float (pun intended)

River Tubing. Personal Photo

Rio Negro Hot Springs: Mud Bath and Natural Hot Springs
I was excited by the hot springs, they were nestled in tiny pools (with a natural stone setting). In the picture below is me and my travel mates covered in natural mud. Moments after this picture was taken we had to rinse off in a freezing natural spring.

Mud Path @ Rio Negro Hot Springs. Personal Photo